Sojourners - Jesushttp://sojo.net/taxonomy/term/789/0
enTell Me A Story http://sojo.net/magazine/2015/02/tell-me-story
<p><em>Short Stories by Jesus. </em>HarperOne.&nbsp;</p><p><a href="http://sojo.net/magazine/2015/02/tell-me-story" target="_blank">read more</a></p>book reviewBookshistorical contextJesusJudaismParablesCultureLife and PeaceReviewsCulture WatchTue, 06 Jan 2015 16:37:01 +0000Duane Shank64356 at http://sojo.netDid Jesus Really Never Say Anything About Homosexuality?http://sojo.net/blogs/2014/12/19/did-jesus-really-never-say-anything-about-homosexuality
<p style="font-size: 12px;"><span style="font-size: 12px;">In the realm of biblical arguments in support of same-sex relationships, I’ve always found one — “Jesus never said anything about homosexuality” — to be particularly weak.</span></p><p style="font-size: 12px;">After all, Jesus also never said anything about rape, molestation, bestiality, torture, cyber-bullying, insurance fraud or elaborate pagan rituals involving self-mutilation and child sacrifice. That does not, by default, earn any of those things the Lord’s unconditional seal of approval.</p><p style="font-size: 12px;">What’s more, I’m not sure if the argument’s underlying premise is even true. Because, in the Gospels, Christ may indeed have failed to<i>&nbsp;specifically</i>&nbsp;broach the topic currently preoccupying the American Evangelical church, but he did address the subject, in a manner of speaking, in&nbsp;<a _fcksavedurl="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+22:34-40" href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+22:34-40" target="_blank">Matthew 22</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a _fcksavedurl="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark+12:28-31" href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark+12:28-31" target="_blank">Mark 12</a>.</p><p style="font-size: 12px;">In those two brief, but pivotal, passages of scripture, Jesus captures the essence of the Christian ethic, mission, calling and faith in an incredibly simple and beautiful way. And he did so, interestingly, not as a standalone teaching, but in answer to a question from his critics.</p><p style="font-size: 12px;">It starts when a group of Pharisees, taking the tag from the Sadducees — who had been silenced in&nbsp;<a _fcksavedurl="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+22:23-33" href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+22:23-33" target="_blank">the previous back-and-forth</a>&nbsp;— descend on Jesus, with the goal of ripping open a can of good, old-fashioned&nbsp;<i>pwn</i>age, first-century style.</p><p><a href="http://sojo.net/blogs/2014/12/19/did-jesus-really-never-say-anything-about-homosexuality" target="_blank">read more</a></p>Gay marriageGays Lesbians and the ChurchGod's PoliticsHomosexualityJesuslove your neighborphariseesHuman RightsLife and PeaceFri, 19 Dec 2014 14:08:52 +0000Tyler Francke63876 at http://sojo.netThe Birth of Jesus Is Not a Sweet Storyhttp://sojo.net/blogs/2014/12/17/birth-jesus-not-sweet-story
<p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">I had just started as pastor of a large church when a key leader took me aside and said I was free to preach about anything I wanted, except homosexuality.</p><p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">He didn’t want to hear any sermons addressing the issue then dominating many conversations among Christians. Keep the topic in the closet.</p><p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Sixteen years before, in a town once governed by the Klan, a leader told me not to preach about race. Too many people remembered signs saying, “Negroes must be out of town by sundown.”</p><p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Many clergy have been told, in terms ranging from kindly counsel to peremptory demand, to “keep politics out of the pulpit.”</p><p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Many a mainline pastor will attest: The one topic that Jesus addressed more than any other — wealth and power — was declared off-limits in congregations that hoped to attract wealthy constituents and their budget-saving pledges.</p><p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Many churches gave up their ethical voice in exchange for money, the very trade Jesus warned us against. The issue wasn’t partisan campaigning or endorsing specific candidates — a clear violation — but any mention at all of race, sexuality, warfare or economic injustice.</p><p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">As a reader recently wrote me:&nbsp;“I hear enough about blacks on TV.”</p><p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">So it is that Christmas becomes a sweet story and a centerpiece for family love.&nbsp;</p><p><a href="http://sojo.net/blogs/2014/12/17/birth-jesus-not-sweet-story" target="_blank">read more</a></p>ChristmasGod's Politicshuman depravityi can't breatheJesusoppressionFaith and SpiritualityLife and PeaceWed, 17 Dec 2014 15:43:39 +0000Tom Ehrich63791 at http://sojo.netOrthodoxy and Orthopraxyhttp://sojo.net/magazine/2015/01/orthodoxy-and-orthopraxy
<p>Our mission was, is, and always will be centered in Jesus Christ.&nbsp;</p><p><a href="http://sojo.net/magazine/2015/01/orthodoxy-and-orthopraxy" target="_blank">read more</a></p>ColumnsgospelJesusmissionOrthodoxyRacial and Social JusticeradicalTheologyFaith and PoliticsHearts & MindsMon, 08 Dec 2014 15:41:26 +0000Jim Wallis63111 at http://sojo.netShorehttp://sojo.net/blogs/2014/12/03/shore
<p style="font-size: 11.8181819915771px;">After the monsoon, after work, I catch &nbsp;&nbsp;<br><span style="font-size: 11.8181819915771px;">you with your face in the hot laundry,</span><br><span style="font-size: 11.8181819915771px;">the syntax of spring held together by sap,</span><br><span style="font-size: 11.8181819915771px;">hanging wild and worried and crazy</span><br><span style="font-size: 11.8181819915771px;">in the lowest branch. In the ripe country,</span><br><span style="font-size: 11.8181819915771px;">salmon fold over the linens of the bay,</span><br><span style="font-size: 11.8181819915771px;">and I weep with you from the shore, embodied.</span><br><span style="font-size: 11.8181819915771px;">For still you feel the fell of dark, not day.</span></p><p><a href="http://sojo.net/blogs/2014/12/03/shore" target="_blank">read more</a></p>fishersGospel of JohngratitudeJesuspoemFaith and SpiritualityLife and PeaceGratitudeWed, 03 Dec 2014 22:42:19 +0000Ariana DeNardo62986 at http://sojo.netWeekly Wrap 11.7.14: The 10 Best Stories You Missed This Weekhttp://sojo.net/blogs/2014/11/07/weekly-wrap-11714-10-best-stories-you-missed-week
<p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">&nbsp;<b>1.&nbsp;</b><b><a _fcksavedurl="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLO0eQuc-sQ" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLO0eQuc-sQ" style="text-decoration: none">GoldieBlox Releases Action Figure for Girls</a></b><br>“Fashion dolls teach girls to value beauty over brains. One is sold every 3 seconds.” That’s how the ad releasing a new action figure for girls opens. Looks like Barbie and Bratz dolls have some competition.</p><p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><b>2.</b>&nbsp;<b><a _fcksavedurl="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2014/11/06/the-fall-of-the-berlin-wall-stunning-before-and-after-pictures-on-the-25th-anniversary/" href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2014/11/06/the-fall-of-the-berlin-wall-stunning-before-and-after-pictures-on-the-25th-anniversary/" style="text-decoration: none">On the 25th Anniversary, Stunning Before and After Photos of the Fall of the Berlin Wall</a></b><br>Sunday marks the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. These photographs capture how life has changed in the past quarter century.</p><p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><b>3.&nbsp;</b><b><a _fcksavedurl="http://billmoyers.com/2014/11/05/gerrymandering-rigged-2014-elections-republican-advantage/" href="http://billmoyers.com/2014/11/05/gerrymandering-rigged-2014-elections-republican-advantage/" style="text-decoration: none">Gerrymandering Rigged the 2014 Election</a></b><br>“There are a lot of structural issues that influence congressional elections, from voter ID requirements to early voting access. But what does it matter if you’ve been packed into a district in which your vote can’t&nbsp;change the composition of Congress?”</p><p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><b>4.&nbsp;</b><b><a _fcksavedurl="http://hellogiggles.com/thrilled-victorias-secret-got-memo-changed-perfect-body-campaign" href="http://hellogiggles.com/thrilled-victorias-secret-got-memo-changed-perfect-body-campaign" style="text-decoration: none">Victoria’s Secret Got the Memo, Changed ‘Perfect Body’ Campaign</a></b><br>This isn’t the first time Victoria’s Secret got a marketing campaign tagline a little twisted (ahem, remember ‘<a _fcksavedurl="http://sojo.net/blogs/2013/03/26/bright-young-things" href="http://sojo.net/blogs/2013/03/26/bright-young-things">Bright Young Things</a>?’) But this time, they seem to have gotten the message — from the nearly 30,000 people who signed an online petition or tweeted #iamperfect to the lingerie brand.</p><p><a href="http://sojo.net/blogs/2014/11/07/weekly-wrap-11714-10-best-stories-you-missed-week" target="_blank">read more</a></p>2014 electionBarbieberlin wallBibleFergusongerrymanderinggirls toysGod's PoliticsJesusJimmy KimmelJournalismKindlepost officeUSPSvictoria's secretWeekly WrapFri, 07 Nov 2014 20:28:59 +0000the Web Editors61851 at http://sojo.netHow Would Jesus Vote?http://sojo.net/magazine/2014/12/how-would-jesus-vote
<p>The people have spoken, usually during dinnertime. &nbsp;</p><p><a href="http://sojo.net/magazine/2014/12/how-would-jesus-vote" target="_blank">read more</a></p>CensusColumnsgun controlHumorJesusPollsatiresixth commandmenttelephone surveyVoteYouGovH'rumphsThu, 06 Nov 2014 21:12:37 +0000Ed Spivey Jr.61756 at http://sojo.netTo the Millennia and Beyond!http://sojo.net/magazine/2014/12/millennia-and-beyond
<p>Reflections on the Revised Common Lectionary, Cycle B.&nbsp;</p><p><a href="http://sojo.net/magazine/2014/12/millennia-and-beyond" target="_blank">read more</a></p>AdventBible StudybirthChristmasDavidHopeInequalityJesusLectionaryReflectionsteadfastFaith and SpiritualityLife and PeaceLiving the wordDepartmentsThu, 06 Nov 2014 21:04:24 +0000Reta Halteman Finger61751 at http://sojo.netStill Looking for a Costume?http://sojo.net/blogs/2014/10/28/still-looking-costume
<p style="font-size: 11.8181819915771px;">I was browsing an elaborate Halloween store and came across an aisle of religious-oriented costumes. There were the usual ones: nun, rabbi, priest. And one I’d never seen before.</p><p style="font-size: 11.8181819915771px;">Yes, you can go Trick-or-Treating as Jesus this year. There is a Jesus costume.</p><p style="font-size: 11.8181819915771px;">What do you think about that?</p><p style="font-size: 11.8181819915771px;">I’m guessing some people will feel offended; I understand and respect where they’re coming from. Others would see it as harmless and find some humor in it. (Hey, see the guy in the Jesus costume? He gave treats to the whole neighborhood using only two Swedish Fish.)</p><p style="font-size: 11.8181819915771px;">I had a feeling there was material for a blog in all of this somewhere, so I took a photo, filed the idea in the back of my brain, and moved on to inspect the rubber rats and flying bats that are more my style.</p><p style="font-size: 11.8181819915771px;">Eventually, a thought worked its way into the front of my brain:</p><p style="font-size: 11.8181819915771px;">Why shouldn’t someone wear a Jesus costume?</p><p><a href="http://sojo.net/blogs/2014/10/28/still-looking-costume" target="_blank">read more</a></p>costumedressing upfacadeGod's PoliticshalloweenJesusjesus costumemasksFaith and SpiritualityLife and PeaceTue, 28 Oct 2014 14:35:00 +0000Joe Kay61186 at http://sojo.netThe Christ of Compton http://sojo.net/magazine/2014/11/christ-compton
<p>Jesus appears on Adult Swim, as he did in Palestine, in a manner both obscure and mysterious.</p><p><a href="http://sojo.net/magazine/2014/11/christ-compton" target="_blank">read more</a></p>Aaron McGruderAdult SwimBlack JesusJesusLos AngelesPalestineReviewTVCultureEyes & EarsLife and PeaceCulture WatchTue, 07 Oct 2014 14:45:33 +0000Danny Duncan Collum60226 at http://sojo.net